Sunday, December 19, 2010

December workshop - Glass containers

The December workshop was also accompanied by rain! But luckily for us, the morning turned out bright and clear, and the Cheenai roads drained and we were able to make it!

The theme was glass containers. Meenu, had just arrived that morning from her overseas trip, but gamely agreed to do a mini demo for us.

As Malathi sensei pointed out, glass containers pose some interesting challenges for the Ikebana artist. In a tall vase, the stalks within the vase are also clearly visible, and therefore need to be part of the composition. Also, when a pinholder is used, it is vital to see that it is hidden from the viewer.

We all tried various methods, some of us used leaves within the vase, others incorporated low material to hide the pinholder, etc. i tried to make my lines within the vase also form part of the composition, but somehow it didnt work very well.

Valeria sensei in Auroville had demonstrated to us a novel way to use a cross bar on the rim of the vase, in order for the stalks inside to remain close to the rim, and present a clear vase of water. I dont remember now, which is a shame...I should have made notes.